Updating Herman Daly's 3 simple rules for sustainability to a world in overshoot.

Earlier this week the brilliant

Marcus Feldthus

shared a post about 3 simple rules for sustainability, written by the founding father of ecological economics, Herman Daly.

However, these rules are no longer sufficient. We are living in a world that's already pushed past its limits. Six out of nine planetary "boundaries" have been crossed, meaning we can't just aim to "do no harm" anymore. Doing no harm in a system that's already harmful doesn't solve the problem. We can only achieve a truly sustainable, steady-state society through net positive, regenerative action deployed at a sufficient pace and scale, hand in hand with a necessary radical systems change.

Therefore, I have tried to revise these three principles to better align with a world that has exceeded its social and ecological thresholds.’

Original rule:

→ For a renewable resource - soil, water, forest, fish - the sustainable rate of use can be no greater than the rate of regeneration of its source.

New rule:

Regenerate more than you consume: employ renewable resources in a manner that enhances their renewal rate.

Example, implementing regenerative agriculture not only produces food but also increases soil fertility, sequesters carbon, and enhances biodiversity, leading to a net positive impact on the environment.

Original rule:

→ For a nonrenewable resource - fossil fuel, high-grade mineral ores, fossil groundwater - the sustainable rate of use can be no greater than the rate at which a renewable resource, used sustainability, can be substituted for it.

New rule:

Replace and enhance: Use non-renewables only as long as they are used to ensure the replacement of product or services that increase negative pressures on social and planetary boundaries

Example: utilizing fossil fuel energy is permissible solely for the development and expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, like wind or solar power installations, provided that it results in a net reduction of fossil fuel dependence.

Original rule:

→ For a pollutant, the sustainable rate of emission can be no greater than the rate at which that pollutant can be recycled, absorbed, or rendered harmless in its sink.

New rule: Replace & transform pollutants into resources: Replace and convert pollutants into beneficial inputs for ecological or social systems.

Example: organic packaging materials, instead of ending up in landfills, are processed into compost. This compost then serves as a natural fertilizer, enriching soil fertility and supporting the growth of healthier crops, thus closing the loop in a sustainable cycle.